


Hey Brother.

by caitlesshea



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alien Technology, Brotherly Bonding, Character swap, Freaky Friday - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-26 01:41:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19757995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitlesshea/pseuds/caitlesshea
Summary: Alex hasn’t spent much time around Max and Michael together, especially not with Isobel as a buffer, and well...he’s over it.OrMax and Michael find themselves living an alien version of Freaky Friday and Alex spends the day with Max.





	Hey Brother.

**Author's Note:**

> So...this happened. I originally saw the prompt for RNM Week, but I wrote this and then decided to do something else for RNM Week, so I figured I'd post this earlier.
> 
> Thanks to @allthehearteyes & @bestillmyslashyheart as always! 
> 
> Title from "Hey Brother" by Avicii.

Alex wakes up to an octopus on his back. There’s really no other way to describe the way Michael is smothering him. Michael practically has his entire body on top of Alex, and it’s hot. With curls in his face he tries to move Michael’s head.

“Guerin. Hey c’mon wake up.” 

“Mmrmph.”

“No c’mon. I actually have to work today. I can’t stay in bed all day.” Alex chuckles.

A bleary eye opens and peers at Alex from underneath the curls. It takes a second to register and then Michael is sitting up and scrambling away.

“Alex?” Michael croaks out. 

“Yeah? You okay?” Alex asks as he maneuvers himself to the side of the bed. _Shit, where the hell are my crutches?_

“Can you get me my crutches? I have no idea why they’re all the way over there.” Alex points to the other side of the room.

Michael scrambles out of the bed and Alex pauses. _Why didn’t Michael use his powers?_

“Here.” Michael says and then he sits back down. He isn’t looking at Alex and when Alex finally removes the covers from himself, Michael practically flinches at the sight of his stump. 

“Thanks. Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“No. Something is wrong.” Michael says quietly while he keeps looking around. That has Alex pausing. Michael rarely admits when something is wrong, so he must not be feeling well.

“Alright. I’ll text Kyle, see if he can come by. I’m going to shower really quick, and then you can.” Alex gets himself up and goes to push Michael’s curls off his forehead, only Michael flinches. 

“Okay.” Alex tries not to take it personally since Michael said he isn’t feeling well, but that hurt.

When Alex makes it into the kitchen after his shower to start the coffee and breakfast, he gets a text from Kyle saying that he’s thirty minutes away. _Good, maybe some answers._

“Here. Coffee.” Alex says as he puts a cup of black coffee down in front of Michael. Michael looks...different. His hair is still a mess, but he’s in one of his nicer dress shirts and a pair of jeans that don’t have holes in them. 

“Thanks.” Michael says quietly and Alex turns back to the counter. He pulls out eggs and bacon and goes about scrambling the eggs when the door to the cabin bursts open.

“Alex! Alex!” Max is screaming and Liz is following behind. Michael startles and almost spills his coffee.

“Max? What the hell?” Alex says as he turns towards the sound. At the name ‘Max’ Michael turns towards him with a freaked out expression.

Max seems to freeze and stare at Michael. “Dude, what the hell are you wearing? I don’t own that?!” 

Michael startles. “Me! What is that? Did you rip my shirt?!” Max scoffs. 

Liz is smirking but Alex has no idea what is going on. “Uh, guys. Someone want to fill me in?” 

“They’ve switched places.” Liz says as she points to them. And Alex well...Alex will concede that Michael is sitting stock still in a very Max like manner and Max is glaring at Michael in a very Michael like manner. 

“That’s why you flinched at my leg?” Alex asks quietly. Michael turns to him with big doe eyes, while Max just looks angry.

“You what? Dude what the fuck?” Max growls at him.

“Stop. Michael it’s okay.” Alex says on instinct and Max freezes and drops right into a chair.

“Kyle should be here soon. Why don’t we eat and wait for him?” Alex tries to diffuse the tension while Liz makes herself and her Max coffee. Michael takes the black coffee and starts drinking it.

“I can’t believe you like black coffee.” Michael as Max says. 

“I can’t do the sugary sweet stuff.” Max as Michael points to the cups that Liz and Michael have. “Go easy on my body man.” 

Alex finishes plating the food and sits down. It’s weird. Max is Michael and Michael is Max. He can’t wrap his head around it yet.

“So how’d you two figure it out?” Alex asks as he tucks into his meal.

“He called me Lizzie.” Liz smirks while Michael cackles. 

“Trust me, it was not fun. She screamed so loud, and then I screamed. Don’t worry, I called Izzy and she said she was going back to sleep because her head was hurting so badly. So I guess she can feel what happened.” 

“What did happen?” Alex asks again.

“Well I was messing around with some of the alien tech from Caulfield yesterday. Maybe I triggered this?” Michael as Max shrugs and then Max groans and pushes his plate away. 

“You’re not hungry?” Liz asks him as she points to his half full plate. 

“It hurts.” Max groans.

“That’s because you’re eating too much. I don’t eat that much.” 

“What? Why?” Michael just shrugs. While Michael and Liz start talking about what could’ve happened, Alex watches Max in Michael’s body, who’s staring at his food longingly and scratching his head.

“Too much food makes him feel sick.” Alex whispers. “He didn’t eat a lot as a kid.” Max turns Michael’s big bright eyes on him. 

“Dude. Stop scratching. Wait. You didn’t wash my hair?” Michael says as he puts his fingers in Max’s curls. “You have to wash it!”

“How was I supposed to know?!” Max says as Michael grabs him and brings him towards the bathroom. Alex laughs.

“He takes his hair care very seriously.” Alex says to Liz and she smirks. 

“Okay. What’s the emergency?” Kyle says as he walks in. Liz quirks an eyebrow at his use of a key and Alex just shrugs.

“The emergency Valenti is this asshole didn’t wash my hair.” Michael yells out into the living room.

Kyle looks stunned for a moment and then turns to Alex and Liz. “Was that?”

“Max? Yeah. Seems Max and Michael are stuck in the movie _Freaky Friday_ and have switched places.” Alex says somewhat gleefully. He knows he shouldn’t be excited about this, but it is too funny to not laugh. 

“No shit?” Kyle says as he helps himself to breakfast. 

**~~~**

“So what’s the diagnosis Doc?” Michael asks Kyle as he smirks.

“Well...other than being in each other’s bodies, you’re both fine. I’d say try to reverse it or it’ll run its course. I can come back after my shift to check you out again.” Kyle says as he heads to the door. 

“Thanks for coming.” Alex says as he walks him outside. 

“No problem. I wouldn’t miss this. Max looks like he’s going to have a heart attack. Good to know his stiff holier than thou attitude can transfer to Michael’s face.” Kyle laughs.

“Yeah tell me about it. Okay I’ll see you around dinnertime.” 

Alex walks back inside to Max yelling. “You are not going into work as me!” 

“Awe, Max, you’re so uptight. I’d make a great deputy.” Michael smirks. 

“No. I’ll call out sick. Give me my phone.” Max holds out Michael’s and Michael reluctantly hands over the phone and takes his own. 

“Don’t you have to work today?” Max asks.

“No. Plus people know the drill, they leave their keys in the lockbox and I’ll call them after I’ve looked at their car.” 

“I think we should still go to the bunker. We need to figure out what you were messing with.” Liz suggests.

“I agree. We’ll need Max to come and move the Airstream.” Michael looks at Max who looks a little nervous to use Michael’s powers. 

“That’s fine. Let me just tell a client I’ll work on their program later, and we can all go.” Alex walks over to the bunker entrance and he and Michael move the coffee table and open the door. Alex walks down the stairs and goes to his computers.

“You had stairs installed?” Liz asks as she peers down.

“Yeah. Easier for his leg.” Michael answers. 

“Okay. To the junkyard.”

**~~~**

By the time Michael coaches Max into how to move the Airstream Alex is ready for this nightmare to end. He hasn’t spent much time around Max and Michael together, especially not with Isobel as a buffer, and well...he’s over it.

“Okay. We’ll see you later. Liz please remind him to eat lunch.” Alex hands them both brown paper bag lunches. Michael leans down and kisses his cheek. It’s weird, and it’s even weirder to see Max kiss Liz on her cheek and Michael roll his eyes. 

“C’mon Max, we have to go to the store.” Alex says as walks towards his Jeep. He turns to make sure Michael’s body is following him.

“The store?”

“Yeah. If everyone’s coming over for dinner I have to stock the fridge.” 

“Okay. So Sanders isn’t going to be mad he’s not working today?” 

“Of course not. He retired two years ago. Michael only works when he wants to.”

“What? Why?”

Alex pauses. That was the voice of someone who _doesn’t_ know that Michael owns Sanders Auto. Shit.

“Because Michael’s the owner.” Alex offers slowly. 

“What? He never told me that.” Alex doesn’t really know how to answer that so he just keeps driving. 

When they finally get to the grocery store Alex starts down all the aisles while Max hangs back. 

“You don’t need any vegetables?” Max asks when he sees the items for a taco night.

“No. We have a garden with lettuce and tomatoes.” 

“You have a garden?” _Jesus Alex is really striking out today._ Before he can answer, they hear a sneer.

“Really, you two should be ashamed of yourselves.” Old Mrs. Peabody rudely whispers to them. Alex just smirks.

“You have a lovely day Mrs. Peabody.” He says sweetly as they go to check out. 

“What?” Max whispers.

“Homophobic old bat.” Alex says under his breath.

“Does that happen often?”

“Eh. Not so much anymore. I think most people are used to us.” Alex shrugs as they grab the groceries. 

“That shouldn’t happen. You should file a complaint.”

Max looks so earnest that Alex doesn’t have the heart to tell him that they don’t have it in them to fight little old Mrs. Peabody. Alex knows that it’s wrong and he knows they should say something or at least they should’ve told their families, but they honestly never even thought to mention it. 

“C’mon. Lets just head back to the cabin.” 

**~~~**

As Alex finishes putting the food away, he gets a text from Michael reminding him to cancel their previous dinner plans.

“Shit.” Alex says as he types out a quick text of apology.

“What?” Max asks from the couch. It looks like he’s found Michael’s collection of books.

“Nothing. We were supposed to have dinner with Tommy and Brian but I have to cancel.”

“Who are Tommy and Brian?”

Alex pinches the bridge of his nose. _Does Michael tell Max anything?_

“Friends of Michael’s from school. Tommy helps out at the junkyard and Brian works at the Crashdown.”

“Michael’s in school?” Alex sighs. _Apparently not._

“Yeah, he’s taking some classes at the community college. I thought he told you?”

“No.” Great, now Max is pouting, but it’s with Michael’s face, and Alex can barely resist that on a good day.

“They’re twenty two. They live in a little studio in town, and they’ve been on their own since they were eighteen. Kicked out of their homes when it came out they were together. Michael took one look at them in class and saw kindred spirits I guess.” Alex chuckles at the memory of Michael telling him about them. “They come over for dinner once a week.” 

“That’s nice. I didn’t realize.” Alex shrugs. 

“We’ll make it up to them.” 

“I didn’t realize Michael liked to read Nietzsche.” Max says as he holds up the book he’s reading.

“He doesn’t. He read to you while you were in the pod.” 

“Oh. I didn’t know that.” Max looks down at that and goes back to reading. Alex prepares everything for dinner and then goes to do a little of his own work.

**~~~**

Dinner turns out to be everybody. Kyle and Jenna, and Maria and Isobel, with Isobel saying it wasn’t as bad on her head if she was in the room with them.

Alex starts making up the guest bedroom for Maria and Isobel and then brings blankets and pillows into the living room.

“What’s all this?” Max asks. 

“Well...I figured since nobody is leaving we can sleep out here. Maria and Isobel can take the guest bedroom and Kyle and Jenna can take ours.” 

“Hell yeah we can!” Kyle says as he shuffles Jenna down the hallway.

“Do _not_ have sex in our bed Valenti!” Michael yells.

“I make no promises!” 

“Oh my god. I’m going to kill him.” Michael grumbles. 

Liz comes out of the bathroom already in her pajamas and lays down on the pillow pile. “What’s all this?” 

“Well neither Michael or I sleep very well, so I figured, with both of them here, it might be easier.” Alex shrugs and then winces when he tries to move.

“Your leg?” Michael asks.

“It’s fine.” Alex tries to wave him away but Michael pushes him onto the couch and goes to their room to grab the lotion and wrappings.

“Valenti!” Michael startles them and everyone laughs.

“C’mon Alex, let me help you take it off.” Michael says as he leans down. It’s weird to see his boyfriends concerned face on Max’s. Michael looks up and must notice it too.

“I can show Max how to do it if you want?” Michael turns his head to look at himself.

“No. No it’s fine. He wouldn’t know how much pressure to apply anyways.” Alex says to get over the weirdness. When Michael tsks at him for the angry red chafing he at least feels some semblance of normal. 

Once he’s all bandaged up, Alex lays down on the nest of pillows and Michael cuddles next to him. It’s a little harder to wrap his head around Max stuck to him like an octopus but Michael just waves his hands at everyone else.

“Well...lay down Max, you’re being weird.” 

“I’m not being weird.” Max says as he lays down in between Michael and Liz. Alex and Liz both choose to stay quiet. 

“It’s just a sleepover. You’ll be fine.” Michael grumbles. 

**~~~**

This time when Alex wakes up he’s still hot, but there’s a Max shaped octopus on his back. Well, that is until Max gets hit in the face with a pillow.

“Get off my man Max!” Michael, the real Michael, back in his own body, yells. Max grumbles and rolls away from Alex and then wakes up when he realizes what Michael said.

“Oh. We’re back.” Max says quietly. Liz smiles and kisses him.

“Hey Cowboy.” Alex says as Michael resumes his normal position of attached to Alex.

“Hey Private.”

“I’m glad you’re back in your own body.” Alex smiles as he kisses Michael. 

“Me too.” Michael smiles and kisses him back. 

“Do you know what happened?” 

“No. The data we were able to find didn’t mention any of this, so I was just going to chalk it up to a freak thing.” Michael shrugs.

“No you aren’t.”

“You’re right. But it’ll be easier to figure out what happened now that I’m back in my own body.” Michael laughs and gets up.

“I’ll make breakfast. You.” Michael points to Alex. “Stay off that leg.” Alex pouts but he manuevors himself to the couch.

“Valenti! You better have clothes on!” Michael yells as he walks down the hallway.

“Ugh. So glad you’re back Guerin.” Kyle mumbles from the bedroom. Alex can hear Maria and Isobel are up as well. 

“I didn’t mean for your leg to get hurt. And I am sorry I flinched away.” Max says as he sits on the chair opposite the couch. Alex waves him off. 

“It’s okay. I would be freaked out too if I woke up in someone else’s body.” 

“Yeah. That and Michael sleeps naked.” 

“Of course I do asshole. It’s hot.” Michael says as he returns to the kitchen. Alex laughs. 

“I think this was good for us.” Max says after a minute. Alex raises an eyebrow for him to continue.

“We clearly don’t talk enough. Maybe it’s time to change that.” 

“I think you’re right.” Alex says as Michael floats his crutches to him. Alex gets himself off the couch so he can join the ladies at the table.

“For what it’s worth, when you were gone, he was a mess. I know he’s told me you two used to be able to talk about anything. You’ll get there again.”

“He has you now.” Max points out.

“Yeah. He does. But you have Liz. It’s not the same. You two are brothers. Found families and all that.” 

“Found families. I like that.” Max smiles and Alex smiles back.

“Valenti! Get your ass up and help!” Michael yells through the cabin which causes everyone to laugh.

“My husband everybody.” Alex grumbles _._

“You’re married?!” Max says loudly enough for everyone to pause their laughter and turn towards Alex.

“Uh. Surprise?” Michael says from the kitchen and then it’s like a tidal wave of yelling.

Alex just shakes his head. _Families._


End file.
